If ships could talk, the 103-year-old Battleship Texas would say that she's tired. She'd say that she's fought the good fight and that she's ready to give in to the rust that is eating away her life. She'd radio: SOS! Emergency!

Texans are making the same pleas on the ship's behalf. Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus need to listen and allocate funds in the upcoming special session to save this historic treasure. Texas must stop spending taxpayer dollars on patch jobs and water pumps for this battleship, the last of its kind that operated in two world wars. It's past time to move this naval museum and piece of our heritage onto land.

The Battleship Texas Foundation has voted unanimously to pursue the dry berth option but lacks the funds to do so. Ultimate responsibility for the battleship lies with the state of Texas, and that responsibility comes with a price.

Except for two years in Galveston in the late 1990s, the USS Texas has been moored at the San Jacinto Battlefield since 1948. So far, a combination of public and private funds have kept the ship afloat through stop-gap measures like patching leaks and pumping water out of the hull. The ship is not only leaking continually, but the leaks are sprouting up more frequently now. Patch-and-pump is not a viable long-term strategy.

If the state of Texas fails to act, the ship could roll on its side. And the funding troubles still wouldn't go away. The state would then need to pay the costs of cutting up the ship and hauling her away. In a salvage situation, the state would also need to cover the costs of storage and figure out an alternate display for the thousands of artifacts associated with the vessel.

By failing to act promptly, the state is risking a priceless piece of our national heritage. About 250,000 people visit the vessel each year. The ship inspires thousands of people of all ages from around the state and the world and reminds them of the sacrifices that so many have made and are making to keep our nation free.

With fewer than 1 percent of the nation serving as active military personnel, the symbolic value of this battleship increases every day, along with the cost of deferred maintenance. Every time the ship lists significantly to its side, the cost of dry docking increases. Delay adds zeroes to the invoice owed by the state and ultimately the taxpayer for preservation or dismantling.

If ships could talk, the Battleship Texas could regale us with stories about her service in Normandy, North Africa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Fortunately, 36 veterans, ages 84-102, who returned in 2014 with their families to celebrate the ship's centennial were able to recount her stories for her. One told of an Air Force pilot dropping cold beer onto the hull of the battleship for a celebration on D-Day.

As conveyed by Bruce Bramlett, executive director of the foundation, another remembered getting chewed out by his commander for failing to write his mother for six months. The sailor promptly complied, writing, "Dear mom, whatever you do, don't write the captain again."

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All confirmed their pride in serving on this 10-gun ship, in her day, the biggest and baddest battleship around.

"She's a testament to our ingenuity and our engineering," says Stephanie Croatt, curator of the battleship. Surely, with billions in its rainy day fund, the state of Texas has the ingenuity to figure out a way to save this historic vessel and to preserve this piece of naval history for future generations.